Alumni Career counselor
Julie Swaner

The job search can be a lonely, isolating process. One way to overcome the difficulties of that process is to join a job search support system. Alumni Career Services at the University of Utah has created just such a system. Each Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Room 380 of the Student Services Building, a group called "Job Club" meets to discuss job search issues.

According to Richard Bolles, author of the classic career book What Color is your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers, job search techniques conducted in groups are about 15% more successful than those same techniques followed individually. Regular meetings with other job seekers keep attendees motivated, optimistic and goal-driven. In addition, it is a source for ongoing strategic management, tips, tricks and state-of-the-art information.

Job Club has strength in numbers. Meeting with like-minded job seekers gives structure, formalized check-in procedures, individual follow-ups with other members, and a way of connecting to job sharing leads and contacts. Just recently, a job club first-timer struck gold. He connected with someone who had previously worked at a company in which he was interested. She arranged the contact and within 10 days he was a new employee of that company. Was it luck, serendipity, timing? We often hear job club regulars say, "I don’t know what I would do without this support. It has been the mainstay of my job search endeavor."

Tannen Ellis, HR Director at Fatpipe Inc., recently spoke at Job Club at the U. In her breezy style, Ellis talked of writing more compelling résumés and managing more compelling interviews. This kind of information becomes invaluable in that the job seeker can actually ask an HR director, "What’s wrong with my résumé?"

Do you need more information about this valuable support system? Would you like to be a presenter to our group? If so, please contact Julie Swaner, Alumni Career Counselor, (801) 585-5036.